Drink N’ Debate puts comedic spin on an old format

Forget what you know about debates: the weeks, and sometimes months, of preparation, the weighty topics, the pin-drop silence from the audience as each team presents its argument.

Now replace that with five to 10 minutes of prep time and audience-recommended topics – everything from abortion and cats versus dogs to who would make a better first spouse: Melania Trump or Bill Clinton? There’s beer for the winning team. That’s Drink N’ Debate.

SpoKomedy creator Nick Cavasier thought up Drink N’ Debate two years ago, shortly after he created a show called Standup Showdown, which pits two comedians against each other, set versus set.

“Out of nowhere, I got the idea: What if there were multiple comedians?” he said. “They have teams. It’s not set versus set.”

Cavasier mulled it over and created a few rules.

Audience members suggest topics for teams of three comedians from across the Pacific Northwest, who will have five to 10 minutes to brainstorm material. The first comedian up is the opener, the second acts as a rebuttal, and the third wraps up the team’s argument. (Since then, rules have changed so each comedian gets a 2 1/2 minute opening and a 90-second rebuttal.)

Three judges choose the winner of each match. Comedian Harry J. Riley, who created SpoKomedy with Cavasier and Jeremy Person, acts as head judge. The featured musician at each show is also brought in as a judge, and a local public figure rounds out the group.

The team that wins the most matches earns the title of Master Debater.

Cavasier pitched the idea of a Drink N’ Debate show to fellow comedians.

“When I introduced it to the comedians that I worked with, everybody was really confused,” he said. “I said ‘Trust me; please try it out.’ ”

Having hosted successful open mic nights and Standup Showdowns, and as a comedian himself, Cavasier had a good reputation among the comedy community and was able to put together a few shows.

The first Drink N’ Debate shows were held at the Brooklyn Deli and Lounge, and the debates quickly outgrew the space. Stints at the Underground 15, where the Observatory is now located, and the Big Dipper met the same fate, which brings Drink N’ Debate to Spokane Comedy Club.

With such momentum, Cavasier hopes to soon bring Drink N’ Debate shows to the Tacoma Comedy Club, which shares owners with the Spokane Comedy Club, and eventually to Seattle and Portland.

“The long-term goal is to have a Spokane team that comes over to Seattle to compete, a Seattle team we bring over to Portland or bring all of them to Spokane,” Cavasier said. “That would be a dream come true for me.”

Cavasier said the Drink N’ Debate shows have gotten so popular because audiences really respond to the show’s humorous take on at times serious subject matter, and because, at these shows, truly anything can happen.

“The show is completely unique,” Cavasier said. “They’ve never done this. This isn’t rehearsed. You’re not going to see somebody perform the same song they’ve done a thousand times or even the same joke that they’ve been doing for nine years. This is all original material.”